South Korea's short track team failed to advance to the finals in the mixed relay semifinal at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics after a collision incident. Coach Kim Min-jung was captured on camera rushing to the judges with $100 in cash, drawing widespread attention.
The Korean team competed in the mixed 2000m relay semifinal at Milan's Ice Skating Arena on February 10 local time.
Korea fielded Choi Min-jung (28), Kim Gil-li (22, both from Seongnam City Hall), Hwang Dae-heon (27, Gangwon Provincial Office), and Lim Jong-eon (19, Goyang City Hall) for the mixed relay. However, they finished third in their heat with a time of 2:46.57, failing to qualify for the final.
A collision during the race proved decisive. Starting in third place, Korea maintained that position behind the United States and Canada. Then American skater Corinne Stoddard, who was in the lead, slipped and fell. Kim Gil-li, following closely behind, could not avoid her and crashed head-on into the fence.
Choi Min-jung quickly took over and continued racing to the finish, but it was not enough to improve their standing.
Immediately after the race, Korean coaches filed an official protest with the judges. During this process, Coach Kim Min-jung was seen on broadcast holding a $100 bill.
This follows International Skating Union (ISU) regulations. The ISU requires a $100 fee along with the protest form when challenging a ruling. This "deposit" system prevents frivolous and unfounded protests.
The money is returned if the protest is accepted but kept by the federation if rejected. Since the procedure takes place on-site immediately, cash payment rather than bank transfer or card payment is customary.
Korea requested an advance (relief) based on the American skater's penalty but was denied. Under the rules, a team must be in first or second place—qualifying positions for the final—at the time of the incident to receive an advance. Korea was in third.
Korea proceeded to Final B (placement race), finishing second behind the Netherlands for an overall sixth place.
"We viewed Kim Gil-li as being level with second place when she fell," Coach Kim Min-jung said. "We appealed because we believed there were grounds for an advance." She added, "The judges determined we were in third position, and we had to accept it since further protest could result in disciplinary action."
In the final, host nation Italy defeated gold medal favorite Canada to win gold, while Belgium took bronze.
After the race, team captain Choi Min-jung shed tears, saying, "I will work to improve in the individual events and the men's and women's relays to show better results." Hwang Dae-heon also expressed determination: "We still have four more events, so I hope we can push harder and perform as well as we've prepared."